Born in Rio de Janeiro, Simões began his musical training at an early age as a pianist and composer. Alongside his musical formation, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Marketing at ESPM, a background that informed his early professional activity as a film director at Mitica Filmes. During this period, he was actively involved as a performer of Brazilian Popular Music, a composer for soundtracks, and a creator of chamber and instrumental works.

His early compositional studies were undertaken with Wladimir Tourinho, alongside classical piano studies with Marly Muniz. Works from this period include a Brass Quintet performed by musicians of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra (OSB), Variations for Piano, and a Sonata Concertante for Violin and Piano, premiered by members of the Abstrai Ensemble.

                Simões later relocated to London to continue his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied composition for two years with Gary Carpenter and subsequently with Rubens Askenar. During his time at the Academy, he developed a diverse catalogue of works, including the 10-minute Guitar Rhapsody (written in close collaboration with Slovenian guitarist Mario Kurtjak), the frequently performed ensemble piece Blurred for ten instruments, and two orchestral works, Pareidolia and Into Darkness.

His commitment to multidisciplinary practice remained central following his postgraduate studies. In 2020–2021, Simões collaborated with Fabrício Mattos on the film triptych Marés – Journeys into Brazilian Music, commissioned by the Brazilian Embassy in the United Kingdom. In this project, he assumed multiple roles as film director, composer, editor, mixer, and conductor, composing the works Revoada and Confluência. The success of Marés led to an ongoing collaboration with Mattos through New Stages Creations, a platform dedicated to innovative live concerts and filmed musical productions.

                Bernardo Simões’ music has been performed internationally by ensembles and artists including Riot Ensemble, Chroma Ensemble, soprano Milana Sarukhanyan, guitarist Mario Kurtjak, and the Tritium Trio, among others. He is currently composing a chamber opera entitled A Gathering and is preparing doctoral research focused on sensorial perception in contemporary composition, with particular emphasis on psychoacoustics, which he plans to pursue from 2026.